the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged  to us, we went on an outing to 
 the glass  factory that bore our  family 
 name.  it had changed owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood   abandoned  for   a  long  while. 
 finally,  the natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings  that survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a long  time  since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by  many, we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are  two main  factory buildings, 
 domed things of several floors,  made in 
 yellow brick. large  but narrow windows, 
 reminescent     of    some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of course, large  and 
 leaded,  and ashen. a bit too dark to be 
 practical.  on  the   eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one  is publicly open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures  of my great 
 great  great  grandfather, or something. 
 various tools (or  replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts.  a lot of 
 glass     of      varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak  out, and climb into the 
 other    building.   the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for  a  long   time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over  the   floor.  no 
 electric  lights, but i  can see by  the 
 light that  shines in wherever  the dark 
 windows    are    missing     a    pane. 
                                          
 however,  the greatest difference is the 
 higher floors: this  building  has none. 
 it is one  massive hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above me.  somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron  latticework, from 
 where chains  are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is, in  the middle of  the  great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral  staircase   that 
 leads up there. i sneak  over there, and 
 take a few  reluctant steps.  after just 
 a  revolution,  i  notice that  for each 
 step  the building starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks  turning  a  dark  red,  and then 
 orange,  all the piled up  debree  being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i  stop ready to  run down and out,  but 
 there's  someone else  on the  staircase 
 with   me   now,   pressed  close.  he's 
 looking  like  me,  short hair and  thin 
 arms, but  with  ears from  some animal, 
 and  more disturbingly,  completely made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me  in  place while  he 
 starts  operating  levers and  dials set 
 in the center of the staircase.  slowly, 
 it  starts spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's   an  elevator!  i  start   to  run 
 downwards,   but  now  the   liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold  of  me. i  try to 
 shake him off, but he's  too strong, and 
 pulls    me   back   up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this  time,  i turn angry instead.  what 
 the hell? who is  this  guy, acting like 
 this? i  reach out my free  arm and slam 
 a  random  lever.  some   metal  bar  is 
 suddenly  released between  us,  hitting 
 him  on  the arm,  forcing my release. i 
 shove him  off of  me, and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin  rusty   chainmail 
 curtain  is  dropped around me.  but the 
 elevator also  speeds up  significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls   are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue.  i close my eyes and 
 curl  into  a ball. but  then, the glass 
 boy  screams,  a   piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes back  open. i watch as he 
 becomes  too liquid,  his  body  pooling 
 down  in his  now  massive tail, and the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks of in a  glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward  the   factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling on the  stairs,  unable to 
 keep  his body upright. can't  reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his body  is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls.  finally,  he's lost too much of 
 himself and  the  scream is  cut  short. 
 the    last   of    him    rains   down. 
                                          
 i  still can't  reach  the  levers  from 
 within  my cage.  looking up,  i  try to 
 make  out  the ceiling, but  it's  all a 
 whirling sea of colours.  below me glows 
 the hellfire  of the factory walls,  but 
 very  faint.  i sit down,  curl back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk  shakes my  entire body, 
 and  snaps me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are   still  moving   slightly, 
 clicking in  place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly   dismount  the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and  crying, i make my  way over 
 the factory floor,  wading through  dark 
 glass  marbles. a quick glance down, and 
 i  see  there's something  faint  inside 
 them.   embryos?    are    these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.